


Home For Thanksgiving

by truelyesoteric



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Past Underage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:08:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19748236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truelyesoteric/pseuds/truelyesoteric
Summary: Living in New York City Stiles has learned to deal with a lot. He's learned to navigate the city and the dating scene. He learned to deal being Derek Hale's assistant. He learned to deal with occasionally sleeping with Derek. He learned to write better and to make it. He's pretty sure he has a good grasp on life.Then Derek needs Stiles to take him to Beacon Hills.That is when Stiles realizes how little he knows.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I want to become the Danielle Steel of post show Sterek fic. So here's another
> 
> There are three parts and I'm going to post them over a week. If you don't read WIPs, love you, see you in a week. For the rest of you feel free to curse the chapter breaks.
> 
> I didn't include Additional Tags because of spoilers. I don't believe there is anything triggery.
> 
> Enjoy a little Thanksgiving in July.

Stiles had been Derek's personal assistant for two years before becoming Assistant Staff Writer. Stiles had sex with Derek five times in three years, all but one of those after getting the promotion. 

Before coming to New York City Stiles had been a romantic. His first Williamsburg girlfriend followed by his Soho boyfriend had cured him of that. It was all about disposable relationships in ones twenties. Stiles took to that like he took to everything -with gusto.

He had slept with Derek once when he was working for him, that had been on the high of a cowritten story. There also had been so much angst after, because of the sex not the article. The article had been very well received. The awkwardness between them had been epic because of the boss/employee thing, the sex had been great. 

Eventually they got over it. 

The other four times they had sex had almost felt like nostalgia. 

Stiles was under very little illusions. Derek Hale was a god. He was built like an altar of worship and had a face that belonged in a museum. He could write well enough to both make your grandmother cry and impress stogy elitist professors. He loved baseball and because of him Stiles had more than a passing knowledge of everything ever about the Mets. On top of his personal traits he was heir to the Hale media empire, rich as anybody else who was filthy rich, and Senior Editor of Hale, a weekly magazine second only to The New Yorker.

He was also a brooding ass, who had this innately vulnerable side that Stiles got to see occasionally. 

The part of Stiles that was still romantic was totally in love with Derek Hale. But the practical side of him knew that there was absolutely nothing he could do about that.

Derek would drag him to baseball games, for no fathomable reason that Stiles could see, and in turn Stiles introduced Derek to first person shooter games. Strangely it seemed to calm Derek after his stressful meetings with the board. 

They would go out for drinks, more accurately Derek would show up and huff and Stiles would cancel his plans and they would go out for drinks, and then they would spend the night bitching about work, their most recents, and life in general. There had been five nights of down and dirty drunken sex and a few blow jobs sprinkled in, but not usually. Those had been special times.

Stiles had no idea how to classify Derek Hale and could barely speculate on what was going on between the two of them. He had stopped asking that question long ago. His life before the city had taught him nothing if not how to roll with the punches.

They were different people. Stiles was son of the Sheriff of a small town. Derek was born to a gold spoon and media attention.

Stiles was more than sure that Derek Hale, young scion of the Hale empire didn't actually know that there was a New York outside of New York City. Stiles had asked once, sometime when they were drunk. Derek gave him that look. The one that said, 'you're being an idiot', it always warmed Stiles’ heart to get that look. 

Derek had been around the world, seen cities and seen things that most people only saw on the internet. Stiles had made it as far as New York City, he had started in upstate New York. 

And no, not Albany or Buffalo, there were other places. Stiles knew, he called one of them home.

But Derek went to places like Paris and Rio De Jenerio. Not Beacon Hills, New York.

Until Derek needed to go to Beacon Hills, New York.

That was where Stiles’ preconceived notions went to die.

&

"Stiles we need to talk," Derek said, coming to Stiles’ desk.

Stiles looked up bleary eyed and then looked around the open concept area. He had nothing but deadlines and drinks for the past week. He remembered sleep, he kind of wanted to get reacquainted with it. He was a little abnormally slow at the moment. People were looking, but Derek never cared about things like that.

"Board meeting?" Stiles asked. "Call of Duty?"

Derek raised an eyebrow. "No, this is...more."

Stiles blinked. He was hoping that he wouldn’t have to get his tux out of the closet. He had gotten the damned thing back in his personal assistant days, before he had found out about working out. The thing barely fit any more.

"Stiles, come to my office," Derek said witheringly.

Stiles stood and grabbed his notebook and a pen, he was pretty sure today wasn't about blowjobs, but it was always good to have a cover. He followed Derek and his mind fixated on Derek's ass in a way that reminded him that he really hoped today was about office blowjobs, it had been awhile, for sexy times with anyone. Much much longer for sexy times with Derek and Derek's sexy times were above and beyond.

Derek sat down behind his desk and looked pensive.

Stiles sat in the chair that had been his best friend for two years when he had been a personal assistant and waited for Derek to figure out the words to say.

Derek was looking at him, Stiles began tapping his pen.

"Stiles," Derek growled.

"Derek, just say it for the love of Christ," Stiles said. "I have two articles to edit and if I don’t, I will get bitched out by Laura and I really don't have that in me right now."

Stiles braced himself. He had and always would say things like that, but he never quite knew how Derek would react. Early on he had gotten yelled at a lot, but once Derek had laughed. Stiles had been struck dumb at that sight.

"Fucking Laura," Derek said. 

"Yes," Stiles said, he quite liked Laura, but she was a control freak and had no qualms about saying exactly how she felt. Stiles didn't know how Derek had survived into adulthood with her as his oldest sister and boss.

"I've been nominated to write the Thanksgiving Editorial this year. I'm supposed to write about the joys of traditional Thanksgiving dinner," Derek said, staring directly at Stiles.

Stiles shifted uncomfortably, feeling like he should know where this was going, but this conversation was going in an odd direction.

"The issue is that I haven't ever had a traditional Thanksgiving," Derek said firmly.

Stiles tried for sympathy. “Does Laura know? Maybe she’d let you change it.”

“She’s my goddamned sister,” Derek growled. “She knows how the hell I spend my holidays.”

Stiles backed up and held up his hands. 

Derek calmed and tried to look something like civil.

“I have to help make Thanksgiving,” Derek said again.

The thought struck Stiles as funny. He tried not to laugh. Stiles had never had the opportunity to sample Derek's cooking skills, he readily made the assumption that there were none. Derek had been born and raised in Manhattan with food on every corner and Derek had a housekeeper to boot. Stiles knew holidays for Derek and Laura were all about some sunny locale surrounded by staff. 

It probably had something to do with Derek's parents. Stiles didn't actually know much about Derek's family. Rumor mill was that his family had died when Derek was in his early teens. Something which probably had something to do with this whole thing, but Stiles was more in survival mode than figure this out mode.

"I can make some calls to get this set up," Stiles said. "I'm not your personal assistant any more, I think you now have two to replace me, but I can maybe get some things together for you."

"Not good enough," Derek snapped.

Stiles sat back in his chair. "Okay, still not your personal assistant, you’re my senior, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t part of my job. I'm about five seconds from walking out so start talking."

Nobody had ever said that Stiles was the smartest one in the bunch, talking like this to Derek Hale shouldn't be allowed, but Stiles hadn't had enough sleep and had collected a couple of non-sexual favors over his time with Derek. As long as he said things like this is private he could get away with it.

He hoped.

Derek straightened up. "I need you to take me to your little Bacon Hollow-"

"Beacon Hills," Stiles corrected.

"Just take me home and show me how to do Thanksgiving," Derek finished.

Stiles’ forehead wrinkled. “Isn’t the deadline for the November issue in mid-October.”

“I’d need to do it before then,” Derek said with eerie calm.

"It's August," Stiles said, stupefied.

"Improvise," Derek growled.

Stiles narrowed his eyes. "You are asking me to pull together Thanksgiving in August-"

"Probably early September," Derek interrupted.

Stiles continued. "In a few weeks you want me to bring you home. Teach you how to cook, probably throw together friends, and let you write about us."

Derek crossed his arms.

Stiles cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, his voice suddenly light. "This is a favor Derek."

Derek glared at him, it was probably the way Stiles was explaining to him like an idiot.

"This is a favor, you need to ask for favors," Stiles informed him.

Derek suddenly changed. Stiles had been around long enough to know that this was the persona. There was a chiseled smile and white teeth, Stiles also know that this was as fake as a four-dollar bill.

“Stiles I need you to do me this favor,” Derek said. “I would be very grateful.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Why me?”

“Because you’re always talking about your little town and your father and it sounds like the perfect little New England town,” Derek said, deflating and returning to a more Derek version of Derek.

Stiles stopped blinking and just stared. He had absolutely no idea that Derek had listened to him. Most people tune him out.

“New York,” Stiles told him.

Derek looked confused.

“It’s in Upstate New York,” Stiles said slowly. “Upstate New York isn’t New England. There are some who say it is part of the Midwest, but those people are idiots.”

Derek still looked confused.

“I’ll get you a map,” Stiles said rolling his eyes.

Stiles looked at him, Derek looked a little pathetic. Besides apparently being ignorant of geography, it looked as if Derek was pretty uncertain how to ask for favors.

“I want a byline,” Stiles said with his chin up a little much.

Derek stared at him. “I’m writing it, it is the editorial, you’re not an editor.”

“I will be the one arranging your story and making all the words that you write authentic,” Stiles counted. “You will not have a story without me.”

Stiles crossed his arms across his chest. He was being outrageous. More practically he should have asked for money. He would have gotten the money. Lord knows he needed more money, but he was working very hard not to be invisible any more. He wasn’t going to live in Derek Hale’s shadow. 

Anymore.

Derek studied him.

“You work for Hale for five years before you leave us for the New Yorker,” Derek said flatly.

Stiles blinked. Derek really did listen well. They had been ripshit drunk when Stiles had let that one slip. Derek had never mentioned it so Stiles just assumed that Derek didn’t remember.

“You promote me next year,” Stiles added.

Derek glared at him. This one was real and Stiles was pushing his luck. He knew he was seconds from Derek beginning the yelling. That was okay. Stiles was immune to Derek’s yelling. Well he actually wasn’t. He had just gotten good at pretending.

Then Derek got that smart-ass smirk on his face and Stiles knew he overplayed his hand.

“We were going to promote you next month, but if you want to wait a year, deal,” Derek said with a lot of vindictiveness in his voice.

Stiles gave him a pasted-on smile. He knew he was still getting promoted next month, but for sure Derek was going to make him jump through hoops in the meantime. 

“Byline if I stay five years is what is on the table,” Stiles said.

Derek considered him. “That’s just a terrible deal. I taught you better than that.”

“I’m getting some mixed messages here,” Stiles said.

“You can have the byline,” Derek sighed. “It better be spectacular.”

Derek waved his hand and Stiles knew this was the end of the conversation. He left. If he had time to feel he didn’t know what he would feel. He was perpetually in overload so one more thing was just an everyday occurrence. He made a note to call his father tonight.

A little part of his brain registered this as insanity.

The rest of his brain went back to researching so Laura wouldn’t yell at him.

**

Stiles call his father that night. His father had laughed for ten minutes. Stiles knew he was once an endless source of exasperation for his father. It was nice to know that he was now a constant source of amusement.

But his father thought it was a great idea. Just because it was so bizarre. Then Stiles’ stepmom got on the phone and, with her voice brimming with mirth to go over some brainstorming details. Stiles told her that she had to do nothing and would have her heels up in the living room watching football. Stiles didn’t know if there was going to be football so he made a note to have a game ready to watch.

After that he called his step brother, who had been his best friend his entire life before he had become his stepbrother. Scott thought it was hilarious and had ideas that Stiles took down in a rapid scrawling hand. There were many things about Thanksgiving that were just his family tradition. Stiles was going to make Derek go through them all.

“Do we still have jarts?” Scott said on the verge of hysterics.

Stiles thought about the heavy metal hand arrows that you threw a distance. He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to give Derek weapons to use against him, just in case. Thinking about his games with Scott as a child. They had found the yard game in the basement, he wondered how they had made it to adulthood. They had nearly killed each other a dozen times with just that game. There were some serious close calls even before the really serious close calls in high school.

There were lists that were made over a weekend. Stiles had spent the whole weekend planning the Thanksgiving in September and slept. It was not his usual weekend and he felt like a better person for it.

Derek was gone for two weeks on assignment so Stiles almost forgot about the article. There was too much to do. He went out one night and didn’t take up an offer. Derek Hale was looming in his mind and he just couldn’t. It happened from time to time. Stiles didn’t dwell on it.

**

Stiles was on the sidewalk with his suitcase when Derek rolled up in a black Jeep Cherokee.

Stiles let out a whistle. Derek got out of the car and opened the trunk.

“There really is no way to get up there besides driving?” Derek said tiredly, already hating this whole thing.

Stiles clapped him on the shoulder. “You’ve already got the attitude for family gatherings down and there is a small airfield, but nobody would call hiring a private plane over driving four hours traditional.”

Derek glared at the ground. “I’m going to hear that a lot.”

Stiles grinned. “Being generally annoyed is so Thanksgiving. You’ve got the headspace right. Please remember that we are going to a small town. My family isn’t rich and the house may be different than you are used to.”

Derek took a deep breath and softened. “You know I’m not going to judge. You know me, I’m not like that.”

Stiles shrugged. He knew Derek wasn’t hung up on money. He liked nice things and he was always in the middle of luxury, Stiles would know he booked plenty of the hotels and resorts Derek had stayed in, but Derek never looked down on those who didn’t. Derek had been to Stiles’ tiny studio may times. He had never once spoken badly about the shabby place.

“It’s just my home,” Stiles said, the nervousness suddenly coming on full force. He had been too busy to feel it previously. He had forgotten to worry that Derek Hale was going to get the full view of where he came from, which was distinctly different from where Derek came from. Or at least Stiles assumed that, since Derek’s lack of sharing about said past.

Derek’s face slipped into the earnestness that Stiles knew was real.

“Stiles, you’re doing an amazing thing for me and I won’t look down on your family,” Derek said with full sincerity.

Stiles put on his sunglasses and gave Derek a dazzling smile. “That almost sounds like a thank you.”

Derek rolled his eyes and his face clearly said, ‘why do I bother?’.

Stiles appreciated the return of that face. He hated the open face of Derek. It did things to his stomach. Stiles was really trying not to fan the flames of his Derek Hale feelings. He knew how painful those feelings were. He had only been madly in love with Lydia Martin for ten years. He really wanted to be less pathetic.

Stiles got into the car and get the GPS. They would be driving for three hours and forty-five minutes. They got on the road and left the City.

When they got back everything would be different.


	2. Chapter 2

“Okay,” Derek said. “I remember that your father married your best friend’s mother when you left for college.”

Stiles was impressed, he really needed to stop being impressed or else this was going to be the longest week of his life. Derek was good with details. 

“Yeah,” Stiles said slowly. The hows and whys were not really conversations that you could have and not expect to be considered sane. “There were lacrosse games and some incidents that happened, that totally were not our fault, not directly. They got close and when we left for college, they decided it was time.”

“Sounds sweet,” Derek said with a small smile.

“It’s awesome,” Stiles agreed. “Melissa is the best. She’s a nurse so that always came in handy and she’s always there with a baseball bat.”

“What kind of childhood happens in small towns?” Derek asked, thrumming his hands on the steering wheel.

It hadn’t so much been his childhood, that had been full of scrapes and a broken arm. Their high school years had been something else, more full of a need for wounds to be sewn up and a baseball bats for non-baseball bat intended activities.

“Is that how you got those scars?” Derek asked.

Derek had seen him very naked five times. Stiles had been sure that all those times had been in very dark rooms, he made sure that his hookups happened in the dark because of the scars. Only once had Derek stayed the night and could have seen him in the light, but Stiles had made sure that he had been wearing clothing by morning.

“Misspent youth,” Stiles said in a toneless voice.

Derek took the hint.

“Your best friend/step-brother is a vet and is married,” Derek recalled.

“Scott has been with Allison since high school,” Stiles confirmed, grateful for the change of subject. “They broke up a couple of times, as you do in high school, but they’ve been in love since day one.”

“Your life growing up sounds nice,” Derek said.

“Just like Norman Rockwell intended,” Stiles said. If Norman Rockwell painted things like him bleeding out in the middle of the woods three days before his SATs.

“Different than how you grew up?” Stiles asked, honestly expecting to be shut down. Derek did not talk about anything before he had begun Columbia. Stiles sometimes thought that he just appeared fully formed at college, like a Greek god. It would explain a couple of things, namely his face.

Stiles was completely surprised when Derek answered.

“When my parents died,” Derek said with no emotion. “I was sent to boarding school in Switzerland, so that was different, but that was at fifteen. Before that my life was more normal, probably different growing up in the city than in upstate. My mom was the one who ran Hale and my dad took care of us, but he baked and we did normal things.”

“So can you bake?” Stiles asked curiously. “This isn’t going to be a disaster where I have to be looking over your shoulder constantly.

Derek snorted. “It’s been fifteen years, if you want us to actually eat what I make I’d probably look over my shoulder from time to time.”

Stiles decided he didn’t care at that moment. He was going to let his crush rage for this week, because he liked this open Derek. What happened outside of the city would stay outside of the city and for a little bit he was just going to be in love with Derek Hale. He’d deal with the repercussions later. 

**

Stiles had learned a lot about Derek on the drive up. It wasn’t anything too intimate, but it was about his life, about his sister Cora who had been sent to boarding school in France and had decided to continue to see the world instead of coming home. Stiles may have learned more about Derek in that one car ride than he had in the last three years.

Derek watched the landscape change from city to rural. They passed through the rolling landscape of Pennsylvania before re-entering New York, the landscape pastural and leaves just starting to change. He looked around a lot, just taking in the area. Stiles had no idea what he was looking for, but Derek seemed to be finding some kind of peace.

Stiles had tentatively flirted. In the past that had either gotten him a look of utter distain or had gotten him naked. This time Derek flirted back and Stiles had nearly passed out at the shock. Stiles had good feelings about this week.

He thought this was going to be fun.

That lasted until he got out of the car. Because that is when he found out there was a whole lot he didn’t even think to know about Derek Hale.

Things got real.

**

Stiles got out of the car first. His father was already coming out of the house, followed by Scott. For a second Stiles worried that the house was too small, that they needed to landscape, that there were cracks in the walkway. The things that Derek was used to were pretty, pruned, and perfect.

And had his house always been this small?

Derek got out of the car and Scott got to the bottom of the house steps and the air became electrified.

Scott growled and his eyes turned red.

Stiles, who immediately went into cover ass mode, turned to Derek immediately, brain firing to come up with a lie to cover that. He already had about a dozen from his high school days.

His vocal cords froze when he saw the look on Derek’s face.

The only word for it was humility. Not faux humility or resigned humility, but actual real humility.

“Alpha,” Derek said with deep respect.

Stiles stepped between Derek and Scott, head snapping between the two. “Scott, this is my boss.”

When he looked back at Derek, Derek’s eyes were blazing white blue.

“Holy fuck, who is a wolf,” Stiles said, turning to put his hands on his hips. “You’re a wolf? Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a wolf?”

Derek gave him a withering look. 

So they were back to that. Stiles breathed a little easier with the normal

Stiles looked back at his time with Derek. In retrospect this seemed…

This seemed just as implausible as it did now. There was absolutely no sign that Derek was a wolf.

“You’re really good at staying under the radar,” Stiles said, still looking between the two, trying to cover the awkwardness in words. “I know about wolves and am nosy. I had no clue.”

“I live in New York City, Stiles,” Derek said tiredly. “I’m constantly surrounded by people. I know how to blend in.”

“You really do,” Stiles said approvingly and then he turned towards Scott. “Maybe you can learn a couple of things while he is here.”

Scott growled a little.

“If it is okay for me to be here, Alpha,” Derek said. 

There was no condescension in his voice, no challenge. Apparently, this wasn’t the first time that Derek had approached an Alpha in another territory. He was just as smooth he could be in the office.

The Sheriff cleared his throat. Stiles jumped, he had forgotten his father was there.

“Hey dad,” Stiles said. “Good to see you.”

“Gonna introduce us?” his father asked.

Stiles came back to earth. It seemed as if everything that he had been envisioning in the car had taken a turn. It didn’t mean that they didn’t have a schedule and things to do.

“Derek, I’d like you to meet my father,” Stiles said, acting like this was normal. “And Scott, my stepbrother best friend who also is Alpha of Beacon Hills.

Derek addressed Scott first. “Alpha, I seek permission to remain in your territory for the next week.”

Scott just stood there. They hadn’t had a lot of formality in Beacon Hills. Usually errant werewolves liked to come into town and start killing people. Nobody really asked the Alpha’s permission before.

“Say yes,” Stiles said through clenched teeth.

“Welcome,” Scott said. Stiles could tell he still had Alpha of the territory flooding through his system.

Derek nodded and put a hand out to the Sheriff. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Noah,” the Sheriff said by way of introduction and then added. “You guys want to take this inside so the neighbors don’t start to talk, they’re probably going to be gabby enough about the Thanksgiving in September thing.”

Stiles grabbed his bag from the car and tried not to look at Derek and spent most of his time staring at Derek. He had bought this man’s underwear, arranged his life, and slept with him. He knew things about Derek, but it looked like he barely knew Derek at all.

**

Derek Hale was in his living room.

It was as awkward as Stiles thought it was going to be.

“Are you a born wolf or a made wolf,” Scott asked, breaking the silence.

It was not the conversation starter Stiles would have started with. He would have made some small talk because he was civilized, but it wholly approved of Scott jumping into the deep end.

“Born,” Derek said. “My whole family are wolves. My mother was my Alpha growing up. 

“Holy fuck,” Stiles said again, taking a little leap that just made sense. “Laura is an Alpha. Everything now makes sense.”

Stiles got the withering look again.

Derek continued to talk to Scott. “I’m assuming you were bitten?”

Scott nodded. “In high school. It was a bit surprising, I woke up in the woods and didn’t have any idea what was going on.”

“I bet,” Derek said. “How did you figure it out?”

“Stiles,” Scott said.

Derek gave Stiles an unreadable look. “If anyone could do it, it would be Stiles.”

Stiles tried to both push down the thrill that sent through him and also inwardly preen.

“And Deaton,” Stiles added, trying modesty.

“Alan Deaton?” Derek asked. “I thought he went off after rumors of a True Alpha.”

Scott gave him a smile. “He found him.”

Derek’s eyebrows went up and he looked at Stiles. Something had changed in the last ten minutes. They both looked at each other like they had never seen each other before. Which wasn’t true at all, but they both had been rightfully keeping some big secrets.

“You know Deaton?” Stiles asked, marveling at the smallness of the world.

“He was with our family for a while,” Derek said. “He often goes off after rumors.”

“I’m glad he did,” Scott said.

“Your sister is your Alpha?” Scott asked.

Derek nodded. “The Alpha Hale has been the Alpha of Manhattan Territory for a hundred and fifty years.”

Scott’s eyes got wide. 

Stiles didn’t want to hear any more. Not only was Derek the upper crust elite of human society, he seemed to be almost royalty of wolf society. Stiles wanted to reverse his crush immediately, this was a little too unattainable in the extreme even for him. Unfortunately Derek was a guy who seemed to be created just to have crushes on.

The Sheriff cleared his throat. “Does this change anything? Because we were looking forward to Stiles cooking for us.”

The question was a loaded one and addressed to all three people in the room.

“I don’t mind,” Scott said slowly. “Does that matter?”

Stiles shrugged. “No skin off my nose.”

“Laura will kill me if I don’t,” Derek said.

Stiles nodded at him gravely. “A lot of Thanksgivings are founded on much less.”

**

“So this explains how you always knew that I was into you,” Stiles sighed. “You must have smelled the lust all over me and knew I was a foregone conclusion. I was just easy.”

Derek froze as he was looking at yams.

They were at the grocery store. They had never discussed their naked time. They had never had a conversation about the fact that they had sex five times. It had made the first time extremely awkward, but it made the rest of the times pretty easy. 

So apparently Stiles decided that while grocery shopping for their faux Thanksgiving in Beacon Hills was the perfect time to have the discussion for the first time.

Derek was so stiff you probably could have used him to iron clothes.

“Stiles,” Derek growled. “You will never be an easy anything.”

That made Stiles ridiculously happy. He wasn’t going to examine that too closely.

“My dad says the same thing,” Stiles said with a grin.

Derek breathed deeply. “How do I know which on to choose?”

“They’re yams Derek,” Stiles said. “You just look at them.”

“Is this the kind of advice I can expect?” Derek said tiredly as his phone buzzed.

Derek took it out, looking like he wanted any excuse not to have to deal with Stiles. The look on his face when he looked at his phone made Stiles think that Derek would rather have dealt with him some more.

“How many people are coming to Thanksgiving?” he asked in a strangled voice.

Stiles shrugged. “My dad, Melissa, Scott, Allison, and Allison’s dad.”

“That’s a lot,” Derek said hopefully. “We’re full right?”

Stiles leaned on the cart. “We can always make room, that is what folding tables are for.”

“Laura wants to come to Thanksgiving,” Derek said in a voice completely devoid of emotion.

Stiles started laughing and nearly fell over. “Really?”

“I talked to her last night and told her about the True Alpha,” Derek said, resigned to the farce that this had become. “She wants to come.”

Derek made a face that could be defined as thunderclouds in a hurricane during a volcano. 

“She says it is tradition to have family there,” Derek said in a voice that was barely contained anger.

Stiles was wheezing.

The phone buzzed again. Derek turned an interesting shade of purple.

“As…” Derek gritted out. “As the brother of the Alpha she requests that you petition her request to the Alpha in order to visit the territory.”

Stiles hit the floor. He was laughing so hard he was in danger of peeing his pants.

“Tell the truth,” Stiles gasped. “This has been the worst ten minutes of your life.”

Derek looked at him and something changed. His face looked almost confused, his body relaxed and he reached out a hand to help Stiles up.

“I wish this was the worst ten minutes of my life,” Derek said, with full honesty and then he turned to the green beans. “How much of this do we need?”

Stiles just watched at Derek poking at green beans. He didn’t know which way was up any more.

**

Derek asked questions on everything. Stiles could answer about thirty percent of them. He used google a lot and also made up a few.

Currently Derek was looking at the stuffing.

“How can there be so many types of stuffing?” Derek asked. “I mean they all taste the same.”

“Are you going to eat carbs?” Stiles asked, remembering one time he had gotten a stapler thrown at him in the early days for arranging a date at an Italian restaurant for Derek.

Derek shrugged. “Might as well.”

“You’re a…” Stiles paused and then went on. “…you know. Shouldn’t you be able to eat carbs?”

“Should we make it from scratch?” Derek made a face as he read the ingredients on one of the stuffing boxes, he looked up. 

Stiles shrugged. “I don’t think we have time to get the bread ready. We can do one of these.”

Derek seemed to be considering the carbs in the stuffing. “I think we should go for a run later.”

“I can hardly keep up with you when you are holding yourself back,” Stiles laughed. 

Derek shrugged. “I don’t get many opportunities to run in the woods, it doesn’t matter the speed.”

“Let’s grab Scott,” Stiles said. We can do the mile into the woods together and I’ll keep going down the main path and you can run with him in the woods and I’ll meet you back at the car when you’re done.”

There was a hesitant look to Derek’s face. “Do you think Scott be okay with that?”

Stiles took mental notes about interpack behaviors. He had been doing it for a couple of hours, but it was really interesting. In his own world Derek didn’t think twice about demanding things. However, he had deferred to Scott in the Beacon Territory. He never did that with Laura. They usually got in each other’s spaces over anything.

“Are you Laura’s second?” Stiles asked. “Is that why she hasn’t killed you yet?”

Derek looked at him and there was a thin smile on his lips. “I’m the Brother of the Alpha, I can get away with things that most people can’t.”

“Is that like an official thing?” Stiles asked. He and Scott had kind of thrown a pack together haphazardly, filled with other creatures, humans, and wolves. Their hierarchy was more based on whoever was around.

“It’s more than a second, it’s almost the voice of the Alpha, the only one who can overrule the brother of the Alpha is the Alpha,” Derek said. “You guys haven’t had much interaction with other packs, have you?”

“No, we have a few bestiaries, we might have made up some things,” Stiles admitted.

“I can let you know what I know while I’m here,” Derek offered.

For all his unorthodox technics, Derek was a good teacher. In the two years he had been a personal assistant to Derek, Stiles had learned how to write better and how to deal with society better. Stiles had only told him off once or twice.

Derek took a box of stuffing and then grabbed another one. He nodded and looked at the list on his phone and Stiles pointed them in the direction that they hadn’t been.

“Have you ever been grocery shopping before?” Stiles asked as they walked through the dairy isle.

“We need to make the whipped cream from scratch,” Derek said, looking at the whipping cream. “And I’ve picked things up at the grocery store, but nothing like this.”

Stiles reached over and picked out a carton of whipping cream and moved down the aisle to the butter.

“We’re expensing all this right?” Stiles said looking at the cart that was flowing over with food. 

Derek examined the array of butter as if it were new cars. “Don’t worry about it. Laura is paying for this.”

“Thank Laura for feeding my dad for weeks, He’ll be drowning in gluttony,” Stiles replied, starting to feel a little disgusted by the cart. There was enough for four pies, ten side dishes, and they hadn’t even gotten the gigantic turkey yet and it was all for one meal.

Derek gave him a little smile. “It’s tradition.”

Stiles had known Derek for three years. He had been yelled at, pushed around, and berated. Even when they were being friendly there was an edge to Derek’s whole persona. Derek was untouchable and Stiles had been used to it. However today as they had gotten coffee and then spent an hour and a half so far in the grocery store, there was a softer edge to Derek.

He had only thought he was in love with Derek Hale. Grocery shopping with Derek made him realize this is something that he wanted to do all the time. It made his thoughts of love seem like a high school crush, he was having actual feelings now.

It made Stiles feel more awkward and tongue tied than when he slept with Derek.

Stiles wheeled his cart towards the check out.

“Stiles?”

Stiles turned around and there stood a small red head. He lit up.

“Lyds!” Stiles said, leaving the cart to give her a big hug. “Scott didn’t tell me you were back.”

Lydia swatted at him. “He didn’t know. I just got back. I got a call last night that my mom went to rehab again. I have to take care of some things.”

“I’m so sorry,” Stiles said, squeezing her arm.

“What are you doing here?” she asked eyeing the cart.

Stiles looked at it, feeding werewolves was not for the faint of heart.

“Derek and I are writing an article about Thanksgiving, so we’re making Thanksgiving,” Stiles said. “You should come if you’re around in two days.”

Lydia raised an eyebrow and looked at Derek, which caused Stiles to look at Derek. Then he looked back at Lydia. The two of them seemed to be sizing each other up. Lydia looked approving. Derek looked like murder might be an option.

Derek had been really nice to everyone so far. He had been the perfect houseguest with his father. Right now he looked like someone had tried to edit his work. He looked like he was going to growl at any moment. Stiles had no idea why Derek was instantly being an ass.

Then Stiles suddenly remembered that Derek remembered everything. Lydia had come up often, Stiles had talked about the girl he had been in love with who had never given him the time of day. He had talked about Lydia over and over. Stiles didn’t believe that Derek could be something like jealous, he just had no other explanation for this reaction. If Derek was jealous then that meant a whole bunch of things that Stiles would think about later. Probably in the most obsessive way.

“She’s pack, Derek,” Stiles said softly.

Lydia’s eyes went wide and she looked over at Derek in a panic. “Nice secret skills.”

Derek’s eyes flashed blue for the briefest of seconds and then his mouth curled up in a sarcastic grin.

Lydia matched his look and pointed at herself. “Banshee.”

Derek’s eyebrows went down. “They don’t exist.”

“Oh I exist,” Lydia said with superiority. “I could deafen you to prove it.”

Stiles looked between the two of them because they were both being their worst selves. They were acting like the parts of themselves that he didn’t like about them. They were acting like territorial jerks. Stiles wasn’t impressed.

“In the spirit of not exposing all of our secrets in the middle of the grocery store,” Stiles said, moving the cart. “I’m checking out and I need Derek to pay. Lydia, we’re doing a thing tomorrow night, call Scott for details.”

**

They paid for the food. It was about the same amount that Stiles paid for rent.

When they got in the car Stiles glared at Derek.

“What the hell was that?” Stiles said. “You’re here less than a day and you’ve completely forgotten about blending in? I know Lydia isn’t a ray of sunshine but you were being an ass.”

Derek glowered and pulled out of the parking lot. He didn’t’ say anything as they drove back to the house. There was a solid ten minutes of silence.

“She hurt you.”

It was a low rumble.

This confirmed Stiles earlier theory. He had absolutely nothing to deal with this. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Derek wasn’t supposed to turn into something real. He was unattainable and Stiles was lucky for the moments he got. That is how it went. Suddenly though Derek had turned the tables and Stiles had no idea what to do when someone was really showing interest in more than naked time. It was awkward as hell. He was the dog chasing cars who caught the wolf.

“She never knew,” Stiles said quietly after a moment. “I was crazy about her and she was oblivious. She never looked at me. I was invisible most of my life. We became friends when we went through Scott’s change and she changed into a Banshee. That was the first time she actually saw me and she never saw me as anything more than a friend or as pack.”

Derek looked over at him and then turned back to the road. Derek didn’t respond. They drove in silence for the rest of the ride home. Stiles thought way too much about the last hour in the ten minutes it took to get home. They finally pulled up to the house and Derek turned off the car

“For all the brains you say that are in her head, she’s dumb.”

Derek got out of the car.

Stiles eyes were wide.

There really was no misreading that.

“What the fuck?” Stiles said to the empty car.

**

Stiles didn’t really know who to tell ‘I think Derek likes me’ to. So he said nothing. They put the food away and Stiles called Scott.

After a quick-change Derek drove him to the woods. Scott was already there. Derek was formally respectful and Scott was awkward in trying to deal with someone treating him like that. As they ran and the two of them talked about pack dynamics Stiles would have laughed if he hadn’t been huffing so hard. Seven-minute miles might have been casual speed for werewolves, but it was almost at the point of killing Stiles.

When the two of them veered off into the woods Stiles slowed down considerably and did another couple of miles at a much better pace for his legs and lungs. He got back to the car and prepared to wait for a while. He got out his phone and was scrolling through the internet when a call came through.

He had Laura’s number because he had needed it once when he was Derek’s personal assistant. It was not a number he ever expected to see on his phone.

“Hello?” he said, with no clue what kind of tone to put in his voice.

“Stilinski,” said a voice with more friendliness than he had ever heard in it. “I knew there was something about you, but I was not expecting this.”

This was his boss who he was afraid of. Or would have been if he hadn’t just found out her secret. It made them part of some sort of secret club. They were on some kind of same footing. He thought.

Kind of?

He had absolutely no idea what to say to her. Thank goodness she was a talker and didn’t expect him to respond.

“Did Derek pass along my message?” Laura continued. “He didn’t respond and I can just imagine him excluding me from his Thanksgiving.”

Not that she had planned to go before, Stiles thought and wisely didn’t say.

“He told me,” Stiles said. “Scott would like to welcome you to our territory and I would like to welcome you to our Thanksgiving.”

Scott didn’t know yet, but Stiles was so going to pull the brother of the Alpha thing if it came up. He had a feeling this was going to serve him well.

Laura let out a happy laugh. “Good. It’s always great to make alliances with new packs. We don’t get the chance to meet many smaller packs in more rural places. I think this might be good for both of us.”

Stiles took a deep breath. “What are you planning Laura?”

There was a silence and Stiles had wondered if he overstepped.

When she spoke her voice was cautious but also somewhat asking for permission.

“We run on full moons in Central Park,” Laura said softly. “I would just like a place that we don’t have to be so cautious in. It wouldn’t be every month, but every once in a while, it would be good to get away.”

“That sounds doable,” Stiles said and then added. “If Scott approves. Just know there is no four star anything here.”

“I’m a wolf, Stiles,” Laura said. “I don’t need a concierge.”

Stiles smiled. He had always liked that about her. He had always known Laura was more than capable of carrying her own bags.

“And there is another thing,” Laura said with more hesitation than Stiles had always known in her. “I wouldn’t get personal with someone who works for me, but it doesn’t seem like you and Derek have ever really concerned yourselves with the politics of getting personal so I’m going to go there.”

Stiles heard alarm bells in his head. Laura was not the one he wanted to share his new awareness that Derek liked him with.

“What do you think of my brother?” Laura asked with no hedging. “I know you’ve slept together and you spend time hanging out without sex. Is it just something you do or something that is something?”

Stiles rested his head on the steering wheel. Apparently, Laura was going to be the one that he had this conversation with. She had been his scary boss two days ago. Now she was the nosy sister of the guy who he liked.

“It’s not just physical,” Stiles said slowly. “I like him. I have always liked him. There is no bullshit about him and anything he knows he wouldn’t hesitate to share. He’s a good guy underneath the growling. I mean he needs to stop flashing his eyes in a territorial way in the grocery store, but all sides of him are pretty great.”

“Derek flashed his eyes?” Laura said sternly.

“We ran into a girl I had a crush on during my childhood at the grocery store,” Stiles said.

Laura let out a little growl. “He’s so in trouble. I’m going to kick his ass, he knows better.”

Then she paused and the growl turned into laughter. “You ran into Lydia? Derek does not like Lydia.”

Apparently, Derek had mentioned Lydia to Laura, Stiles knew he hadn’t. This was a confirmation even more of everything he was not wanting to mull over.

“Does he like me?” Stiles asked, giving up any pretense. If she could be that straightforward so could he.

“There are a great many things I do that embarrass him,” Laura said. “But I do not share his secrets. Just don’t hurt him. His dating usually leads to death, he hasn’t had a pretty time of it, but something in me thinks that if he dated you that might change.”

“Is this because I’m the brother of the Alpha?” Stiles asked 

“No, it’s because you’re Stiles,” Laura said. “I’m pretty sure you wore him down enough that he would have tried something soon, not a secret from him, just something I’ve been thinking for a while. Now that he knows you’re part of a pack he doesn’t have a really good reason not to. You know about us. He doesn’t have to hold back or hide.”

Stiles blinked his eyes and cleared his throat. “You’re more than welcome to Thanksgiving.”

“Can I bring anything?” Laura asked. “I have a killer wine cellar. We never drink it but my parents were collectors.”

“Don’t get too fancy,” Stiles said. “This is a simple meal with more food than the entire town needs.”

“You have at least three wolves at your table,” Laura said. “We’ll do some damage. Derek better be right about you, this better be good.”

Stiles felt the warning was a little more than about a meal.

“It will be good,” Stiles promised.

**

It was dark when they got back, Scott and Derek had huge smiles on their faces and tired eyes. They ordered pizza and sat sweatily on the couch. Stiles put on a movie and the other two fell asleep on the couches.

The Sheriff came home halfway through the movie and Stiles went up and went to the kitchen to see him.

The Sheriff was pulling something out of the fridge.

“Melissa still at the hospital?” Stiles asked.

“She’ll be home soon,” the Sheriff said. “She’ll probably be happy to see her comatose son. It’s kind of nice to have you home.”

Stiles shrugged. “Sorry I don’t come home much. Work takes up a lot of my time.”

“He’s different from how I pictured him,” the Sheriff said. “From the way you talked the first year I thought he breathed fire.”

“He’s not so bad once you get to know him,” Stiles defended immediately.

“Oh I got that,” the Sheriff said. “From you two going to games and spending so much time together. I just expected him to act more like the Whitmore boy.”

Stiles snickered. “Do you think I would hang out with someone like Jackson. I only put up with him because of Lydia.”

“I’m beginning to think you may be a good judge of people,” the Sheriff said. 

“Don’t sound so shocked,” Stiles said. “I picked out your wife for you.”

The Sheriff rolled his eyes.

“I might be coming back more often,” Stiles said, tracing a pattern on the countertop. “Laura wants to make an alliance with Scott which means she and Derek will be coming into town. I’m pretty sure that is with their private jet. I can probably hitch a ride.”

The Sheriff’s grin spread across his face. “This may be the first time this wolf thing has worked out in my favor.”

“Pretty sure there might be one other thing,” Melissa came and wrapped her arms around him, kissing his cheek.

Stiles smiled at his family. “Scott is sacked out on the couch, when you want to harass him.”

Melissa grinned. “Mother’s never harass. We gently needle.”

Stiles turned to his father. “You better not start taking lessons from her.”

“With you, never,” the Sheriff said.

**

“HAPPY DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING!!” Stiles said, flying onto the bed in the guest room.

Derek rolled over, just missing an elbow to the gut.

“Nice wolf skills,” Stiles said, flopping down on the bed.

“Why are you waking me up at 6 am?” Derek said.

“Lazy bones,” Stiles said. “I happen to know your day usually begins at five. I let you sleep in.”

Derek blinked his eyes and tried to wake up. Stiles took the opportunity to casually glance at Derek. It was just as good as everything he remembered.

“What do we have to do today?” Derek asked. “I thought Thanksgiving was tomorrow.”

Stiles laughed manically. “Oh grasshopper. We have so much prep to do, pies to make and things to cut. Tomorrow we just need to have everything ready to cook so we have times to watch the parade and play football.”

Derek sighed. 

“I know it isn’t as much fun as consigning other people to make Thanksgiving for you,” Stiles chided. “But at least you won’t be running someone else’s Thanksgiving for your own gratification.”

Derek glared at him. “You know tomorrow isn’t actually Thanksgiving.”

“Don’t ruin the magic Derek,” Stiles said, stretching, his shirt gaping a little.

Derek’s eyes lingered. Stiles felt his heart hammer a little, Derek never looked. Even when they were casually hanging out, he was always professional. There seemed to be an openness about Derek, walls were coming down.

“We should get ready,” Derek said, his voice hitching a little.

Stiles knew Derek could hear his heart pounding.

Stiles could live with all of this.

**

“Tell me again about the julienne cut,” Derek said, holding up a wicked knife. “I dare you.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Do you think that scares me? You’re hardly the first person to threaten me with knives.”

Derek gave him a sarcastic smile. “Somehow I’m not shocked.”

Stiles went back to the pie dough. “Beacon Hills attracts weird things. The amount of creatures that I’ve seen is amazing, the worst though has been the hunters, they’re the ones who made me immune to knives and the like. Allison’s grandfather tried to kill us when he found out she was dating a wolf.”

Derek had stilled over the cutting board. 

Stiles looked over at him. “You okay? Have you seen hunters?”

Derek met his eyes and nodded. “That is how my family died. They set a fire to our vacation house in Martinique.”

“I’m so sorry,” Stiles said. He couldn’t imagine at all what Derek had gone through. “We got lucky. Allison and her father are good ones, I promise. They’re pack. They have fought by our side over and over, but I know how black and white hunters can be, the destruction they bring has been worse in some cases than anything with fangs.”

Derek bit his lip. 

“I swear,” Stiles said seriously. “Allison is on our side. They won’t come after you.”

Derek looked him straight in the eye. “I trust you.

**

Stiles lay on the table in the corner of the bar.

“All housewives deserve a raise,” Stiles said tiredly. “Nobody should have to do that work without proper compensation.”

Derek snorted as the waitress came over and gave them beers. “You’re being compensated for it. This is literally part of your job.”

Stiles sat up and took the other beer. He had forgotten that. Over the last few days he had completely forgotten that he and Derek were here for work. It had started to feel just a part of life.

“So why is it so important that we do this tonight?” Derek asked. “You put this on the itinerary.”

Stiles grinned. “The night before Thanksgiving is a huge drinking night. It’s something about being home and seeing old friends and the strain of family.”

Derek took a sip and grimaced a little. “Thanks for doing this, it is above and beyond.”

Stiles leaned back thoughtfully. “I really want to tell you to remember it at bonus time, but the honest truth is this is just what we do every year. This is pretty easy because it’s just Thanksgiving.”

Derek took another sip and made a horrified face. “Except I made you do it in September.”

“Dude,” Stiles said. “It’s gross. The only reason you drink the swill here is to get drunk, it’s terrible but this is where we go. Stop putting yourself through the pain.”

“I’m trying to embrace all the traditions,” Derek said with a smirk.

For years Stiles had always felt like Derek was above him, Derek was so much more, unattainable. However sitting in the hole in the wall bar in his home town, after so much normalcy, he realized that Derek was just a guy. He was a guy with a whole lot of fancy trimmings, but he was a guy. He was a guy who was a wolf, that was true, but in Stiles’ life that was pretty normal.

Stiles reached out to touch Derek’s hand. He curled his finger around Derek’s index finger. It was the closest he had ever come to holding Derek’s hand.

“Let’s talk about it,” Stiles said.

Derek responded with a tug of his finger. “Okay.”

“Stiles!”

A figure flung himself at Stiles, the tentative hold Stiles had on Derek fell under the weight of Scott.

“I saw you yesterday,” Stiles said, pounding on Scott’s back. Scott did not look like he was going to let go. “You’re embarrassing me in front of the Alpha Hale’s brother.”

There was a giggle and Stiles looked up to see Lydia and Allison. He continued to pound on Scott’s back, but he made introductions since Scott seemed to be laughing too much to do it.

“Allison, Lydia, this is Derek Hale,” Stiles said. “He’s my boss so please try to embarrass me less than Scott is.”

Allison dimpled. “When have I ever embarrassed you?”

She turned to Derek and held out her hand. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

Derek took it tentatively.

Allison seemed to sense the apprehension.

“Stiles told you I’m a hunter?” she asked.

Derek nodded.

“My dad and I have a philosophy we live by,” Allison said. “We help those who can’t help themselves. We don’t bother wolves who are just living their lives. We’re on Team McCall.”

Scott had stopped laughing and looked up at them. Stiles gently prodded Scott.

“She’s wife of the Alpha,” Scott said authoritatively. “She’s pack.”

Derek looked at where he was still shaking Allison’s hand and then he looked up at her. There was still some wariness in his eye, but he gave her a small smile.

“It’s nice to meet you Allison,” Derek said. “I hope we can be friends.”

Allison gave him a full smile with a streak of white. “I hope so too.”

Derek nodded and turned to Lydia. “Hi Lydia, I’d like to apologize for my rude behavior yesterday.”

Lydia studied him and then made a face. “I understand, wolves are territorial.”

“You’re embarrassing me,” Stiles stage whispered.

Derek looked a little ashamed. Stiles didn’t clap, but he wanted to. With the exception of Laura, Stiles had never seen Derek contrite. He was grinding his teeth a little, but he took Lydia’s remark without a word.

Then Derek put on the face and gave her a polished smile. “Thank you for your understanding.”

Lydia’s eyes narrowed. “You owe me a drink.”

“Agreed,” Derek said.

For all the civility of their words there was tension between them.

“Tradition?” Stiles said at the awkward moments.

Derek let out a breath. “Next round is on me and you guys can tell me about Stiles in high school.”

Stiles buried his face in his hands. 

Derek gave him a smile. “Tradition.”

Secretly Stiles had never been so happy in his life.

**

“So wait,” Derek said as he tried to decipher the story being told by the three drunk humans. “You rammed your car though the wall.”

Stiles nodded happily.

Derek turned towards Lydia. “And the love for your lizard wolf boyfriend-“

“He wasn’t a wolf yet,” Lydia slurred.

Stiles had never seen her this drunk before. It was highly amusing that she maintained her composure while swaying like she was at sea. She and Derek had come to a truce that mostly seemed to be that they felt comfortable interrupting each other and talking over each other. It was a weird form of intimacy.

“Okay,” Derek said, starting again. “Stiles burst through the wall and your love for your lizard boyfriend broke the spell of Allison’s grandfather.”

Lydia nodded. “That man is a bastard.”

She shot Allison a quick apologetic look.

Allison lifted her glass for a quick cheer with Lydia. “There is a great deal of my family that is beastly. I’m much happier with my new family.”

“You should see her with her bow,” Scott bragged to Derek. “She’s amazing.”

“As long as I’m next to her and not in front of her,” Derek said dryly.

Allison giggled. “I’m sure Stiles would protect you.”

Stiles was too drunk to be embarrassed any more. He just turned to Derek and said absolutely. “I would.”

Derek leaned forward a little smiling. “And how would you protect me.”

Stiles was momentarily mesmerized by the smile but he shook his head and spoke seriously. “I would take her out with a karate chop.”

The smile that spread across Derek’s face was so brilliant Stiles lost all thoughts in his head.

“Ugh,” Lydia said, downing the last of her Cosmo. “Why isn’t Jackson here for Thanksgiving. I’m the fifth wheel.”

Scott laughed. “Because its September.”

Lydia made a face. “It’s stupid, but this is kind of the good stupid.”

Stiles grinned at her. “I know right. I thought it was a joke at first, but it has been really fun.”

He turned to look at Derek and whatever gloom had started to grow on Derek’s face disappeared by however it was that Stiles was looking at him. Stiles was full of alcohol and a warm homey feeling and, although he had kissed Derek quite a few times, he felt like kissing Derek and it felt like the first time. He had butterflies and everything.

Scott cleared his throat. “For the sake of the people who have to cook a massive meal and not to have the puking on the sidelines of the football game, as we did three years ago, I think the designated wolf drivers should take everyone home.”

Having already paid the check they stood up in their varying stages of stableness.

Allison gave Derek a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

Derek looked a little surprised but gave her a little hug back.

“We brought peace,” Stiles said in a badly toned whisper to Scott.

Scott laughed and collected his wife and Lydia and left.

Derek looked at Stiles. “Are you going to puke in my car?”

Stiles thought about it for a moment. “Nope. Promise.”

Derek steered them out to the car. Stiles was quiet. He was trying to arrange all his thoughts through the alcohol to be coherent. He was sitting in the car and Derek was pulling out when Stiles thought he would give speaking a try.

“You’re not going to sleep with me tonight,” Stiles sighed.

“Under your father’s roof?” Derek asked. “No.”

“I’m not that drunk,” Stiles said, barreling over his answer. “You’ve obviously taken advantage of me before.”

Derek cringed a little. “You’ve always been mostly sober. I made sure.”

Stiles waved a hand. “I’ve always been fully consensual. More than fully. Much like I am now.”

“Things are different now,” Derek said, turning onto Stiles’ street. 

Stiles made a face. “I’m really not that drunk.”

“I’m really not up for leaving your bed once I’m in it,” Derek said without any emotion.

“Oh,” Stiles said, awareness coming onto his face. “Is this about the talking thing.”

“Yeah,” Derek said quietly as he pulled into the house. “This is about the talking thing.”

“We’re going to do this?” Stiles asked.

“Not tonight. You really should hate spoilers more,” Derek said.

“Don’t judge,” Stiles said. “I hate not knowing where things are going.”

Derek opened the car door. “Pretty sure you have as good idea as I do where this is going.”

This time Stiles actually clapped his hands and then his face got stricken.

“Holy shit,” he said. “This is not what I thought would happen when we left New York. This is not what I thought would happen in this lifetime.”

Derek came and opened Stiles’ door, he leaned on the car.

“Maybe you should think bigger,” Derek said.

Stiles looked at him in the moonlight. His dark hair against his skin, making him look like a form of contrasts. The light highlighted the curve of Derek’s lips and Stiles couldn’t resist. He leaned forward and gently kissed Derek. He had done it plenty. He had always felt like he was eating away at Derek in desperation. It had always felt wanting and needy.

This time he kissed Derek gently and he felt it to his toes. It was just the touch of lips without the need for anything more. Derek leaned in and kissed him a little deeper. The wanting entered the kissing and Stiles’ hands came and pulled Derek in a little more.

Derek pulled away, looking like he really didn’t want to.

Stiles let out a huge sigh. “I’m way too drunk for this.”

A hand reached out and ran a thumb over his lip. Stiles looked up to see Derek’s eyes open and blown out. Knowing and seeing were different. Actually seeing Derek there and wanting him totally did it for him. 

He was in this.

“Let’s go inside,” Derek said. “We have to sleep before creating a feast.”

Stiles nodded. They went inside in silence and into their separate rooms. Stiles was in his pajamas and almost asleep when he barely registered his door opening and a body sliding behind him. Arms went around him and he snuggled in.

**

When Stiles woke up, he was burrowed in a warm heat and it wasn’t his blanket. Not having an extensive experience in morning cuddling he was surprised at how comfortable he was.

Being a romantic was seeming to have some advantages.

“You think too loud,” Derek grumbled against his neck.

Stiles shuddered.

“We should get up,” Stiles said. “If we don’t get up, we are going to stay here and delay today’s schedule.”

Derek pulled Stiles tighter for a moment and then let go.

He got up reluctantly. Stiles pouted for a second, but he knew there would be plenty of time once dinner was over. Work had to be done.

“Brush your teeth,” Stiles said. “I’m waking up the house and we’re going to watch the parade before cooking.”

Derek looked at him funnily. “What parade?”

“The one from last year,” Stiles said. “I downloaded it. Don’t ask silly questions.”

Derek rolled his eyes and padded out of the room. He was gone for a minute when there was a knock at the door.

“What did you forget?” Stiles asked.

The face that appeared at his door was not Derek. His father looked at him. His father was very amused. At the very least that was more pleasant than disapproval as he died with embarrassment.

“Nothing happened,” Stiles said immediately.

His father’s smile grew even more. “That’s sad. I’m kind of liking the boy. You two are fun.”

Stiles burned his head in his pillows and his father left with his laugh echoing in the hallway.

Stiles grinned at his life. His father was happy. He was going to get a promotion in a month. He had friends and family who were healthy and well. And he knew this thing with Derek was going to start.

Everything was so good.

There was probably only one thing that could ruin the shine.

It would be there shortly.


	3. Chapter 3

The parade was watched in pajamas. 

The Sheriff and Melissa shared the recliner and Derek and Stiles sprawled on the couch and ate cereal.

“Eat your carbs, Derek,” Stiles said, almost spilling his own bowl of cereal.

Derek looked at the bowl. “Aren’t we going to eat real food soon?”

“Tradition,” Stiles said and then pointed at the screen. “It’s Spiderman!”

The parade was just over when Laura showed up. She spent ten minutes in the kitchen with Mellissa and Melissa wanted to adopt her. The Hale family was spooky with their charm when they wanted to be.

The food was begun. Melissa and the Sheriff said they would oversee the final baking and the bubbling pots, while they sipped on Laura’s wine. Everyone else went to the backyard for a game of football.

Laura, Derek, Lydia, Allison, and Scott stood looking at Stiles who held the football. None of them looked overly thrilled at it.

Stiles took on the duties of organizing.

“Okay, first things first,” he said looking at Derek and Laura. “Do you know how to play football?”

Derek made a face and Laura shook her head.

“Good,” Stiles said, holding the football. “We’re all on the same footing. Since we have an uneven number of werewolves, we’re going to give the other team a touchdown as a pity thing. Alpha Team is Laura, Scott and Lydia. Beta Team is Derek, Allison, and me, we get the extra points.”

“That hardly seems fair,” Laura said.

“Especially since Allison is the only one who can actually play football,” Scott objected and then looked at Allison. “Love you.”

She blew him a kiss.

“Everywhere else in the world one of you is the Alpha of me,” Stiles said. “But on this field, I am in charge. Suck it up, it’s for Derek’s article.”

Laura gave him a look of steel. “You’re going down.”

Stiles gave her a grin. “Probably.”

“Need another?” a voice came as footsteps suddenly stopped.

The playful look on Laura’s face faded and her eyes instantly turned red. Stiles looked at her in horror before looking at Derek who had already shifted into his beta form. Then he looked at Chris. Chris stood there his blue eyes wide and a little terrified.

“Dad?” Allison asked, looking between the three of them.

“Argent,” Derek gritted out.

Nobody moved, but Derek was so coiled that the air around him vibrated.

Stiles was going to step forward, but Scott was first. He had shifted and stood between the two parties.

“I have absolutely no idea what is going on,” Scott said with all command. “But whatever it is you are on my territory and you’re going to go through me to deal with it. Whatever hunter and wolf issue there is we’re going to sit down and solve this with talking and not with our claws or guns.”

Stiles stood next to Allison and Derek, baffled as to what had just happened.

Laura moved and Scott stiffened, ready to defend. She didn’t move towards Chris. She walked to her brother and stood behind his shoulder. She placed a gentle hand on his arm. It wasn’t enough to restrain him, but it was enough to connect him. He looked down at her. There seemed to be a conversation happening without words.

Stiles looked to Allison. She looked like she was about to cry. He gave her a look that asked: ‘what is going on?’, she just shrugged.

Chris held out his hands, showing he held nothing.

When he began speaking it was to Laura and Derek, it wasn’t understood by anyone else. “I didn’t know. I never knew about what they planned. I found out years later. I have no ties to my family any more. All I have is Allison and she knows nothing about it. I didn’t know at the time and I would not have gone along with it.”

Laura’s hand then dug into her brother’s arm.

Scott looked at Laura and Derek.

“Do you believe him?” Scott said, still obviously still in the dark, but it was a good first step to not having bloodshed on the faux Thanksgiving.

Laura held her head high and addressed Scott as the Alpha of this territory. “Gerard and Kate Argent infiltrated my family. Kate burned down the house that killed my parents and grandparents. We have rights to be on the defensive against any Argent.”

Stiles looked wide eyed at the surrounding group. He had expected a meal and maybe some food coma cuddling. Instead he was standing in the middle of what he hoped was not a blood feud.

Chris Argent nodded. “They did. I did not. Allison did not.”

“Chris is part of my pack,” Scott said. “He says he was not part of the plans against your family. Kate and Gerard killed each other. The parties you have issue with are dead.”

Laura looked skeptical against that idea.

Stiles spoke and if felt like he was pushing words out. “I saw their bodies. They’re both dead. They killed each other and there was a lot of pain involved.”

Derek’s head snapped to him for a moment. Stiles was sure that horror was on his own face. He still had nightmares of the bodies. Of all the bodies he had seen the father and daughter had been the one that haunted him, it had been brutal.

There was a moment of pain in Derek’s eyes that was not for himself. For a flash Derek’s face was empathy for Stiles. Then he closed his eyes and looked back at Chris.

“What did they do?” Allison asked quietly, she was crying. “What did they do to you?”

Laura and Chris didn’t look at her, they clamped their jaws. Derek was breathing faster. Nobody answered her small question. Derek was vibrating with anger. Allison went to Derek, her eyes wide and watery. She leveled her chin and looked at him.

“What did they do?” she asked him with a small but commanding voice.

His glowing blue eyes snapped to her. She didn’t shrink away.

“Tell me what they did,” Allison said, her voice a little hysterical, a little begging. “Please, I don’t know the extent of what they were. I carry the name, but everyone keeps the weight of the dark away from me. I’m not a child. I need to know.”

Derek glared at her. There was so much hate in his eyes. Not hate for her just hate. She bore it and because of that Derek slowly spoke.

“She used me,” Derek said, his voice sound like it was dragged over broken glass. “She used me and then she and her father surrounded the house with mountain ash and burned my family inside.”

Allison’s face crumpled and she reached out a hand to his face. He didn’t flinch. He let her put a hand on his jaw.

“You were young,” Allison guessed.

Derek’s jaw jumped.

“Fifteen,” Laura provided with a little growl in her voice.

Allison nodded and her face broke. “I’m sorry Derek Hale.”

“I don’t need your apology,” Derek growled at her.

She didn’t back down, but she took her hand from his face. “We can’t fix the past. We can’t change what our family did to you. I could beg you for forgiveness, but you deserve so much more. You deserve your family back, you deserve your childhood back.”

Derek’s face went back to his human face and he stared at her for a moment.

“No one in my family will ever do it again,” Allison swore. “No one I hear about will ever do that again. I protect those who can’t protect themselves. That is what I can offer you because there is nothing else.”

Derek looked as if he was either going to shred someone or start crying.

“Scott,” Laura said, not taking her eyes from her brother. “We need to run for a little bit. We can talk later. Right now we need to run and not stop for a while.”

“I’ll take you,” Scott said.

“Thank you,” Derek said gruffly to Allison. Then he turned to Scott, who hastily lead Derek and Laura away.

They left and everyone in the yard was still. Stiles noticed that his dad and Melissa had come out on the porch. They had heard the exchange.

Chris was looking at Allison. “I never wanted you to know this.”

“There are more,” Allison said. “There are more that they destroyed.”

Chris nodded. “I don’t want this to be your legacy.”

Stiles’ heart broke a little. He wanted none of this. The pain, anger and hurt in Derek’s face for what had been done to him was devastating. No wonder the man kept everyone at arm’s length. 

But it was Allison who reminded him what life actually was.

Allison smiled. “It isn’t my legacy. My legacy will be that of the McCall pack, as will yours.”

Chris didn’t look like he believed it, not yet, but his eyes shone with pride at his daughter.

“The food is ready,” Melissa said. “But I doubt anyone is hungry. Laura brought wine and Stiles has football games. Let’s go inside until they get back.”

**

Lydia, Allison, and Stiles were on the couch less watching the game than just being a pile together. Melissa, Chris and the Sheriff were in the kitchen table, drinking coffee and nibbling at the meal. Nobody was eating or drinking much. They all were just sitting around. 

“Your son has become quite impressive,” Chris said to Melissa after about an hour. He was talking quietly. Stiles’ ears perked up and he started to listen to the conversation in the other room.

Melissa let out a dry laugh. “As has your daughter. All the kids have no reason to be as good as they are with everything that has happened.”

“Derek is a good kid too,” the Sheriff said. “Despite everything and a bad temper he’s been a good friend to my son. He has every right with all his money and Laura’s power to be a tyrant, but I don’t see that in him.”

Allison was listening too. She tugged at Stiles’ arm. He leaned over to her and she whispered in his ear.

“Do you think that he’ll forgive us?” Allison asked.

Stiles had no idea. A few days ago Derek had just been Stiles’ boss, a guy he played video games with, and someone he slept with five times. He was still trying to get his head around all he had learned about Derek Hale.

“Of course,” Stiles said.

Allison put her head on Stiles’ shoulder. “Thanks for bluffing.”

Lydia moved to Allison’s lap and Stiles put on a movie.

They waited.

**

It was well past midnight when the back door slid open. Everyone turned together.

They had been running for almost ten hours. They didn’t look good. None of them were wearing shoes anymore. Their clothing was torn and they had scratches that were beginning to heal. Laura had dried blood on her head. Their eyes were sunken.

Stiles and Melissa were the first to get up.

“Sit,” Melissa commanded, going to the sink to fill up three cups of water.

They all swayed a little, but they moved to where Chris and the Sheriff had abandoned their chairs. Stiles went to the fridge and pulled out the largely uneaten meal. He didn’t even bother heating it up. He put pounds of turkey, stuffing, and nine other assorted dishes in front of the wolves.

“Eat it all or no pie,” Stiles said, handing them spoons and forks. They didn’t even bother with plates as they dug in.

Stiles moved to get them more water.

Derek reached out and snagged Stiles’ arm. “I’m sorry for ruining Thanksgiving.”

Stiles put his hand at the nape of Derek’s neck. “It’s September and this is just for an article.”

“Oh that is going to be a great one,” Derek muttered as he stuffed his mouth with food.

Laura paused in her eating. “You’re not writing it.”

Derek looked at her. “Maybe we don’t have to decide now. Someone has to write something, we can figure it out later.”

She brandished a fork at looked at Stiles. “Do you want to write the Thanksgiving Editorial? You know about Thanksgiving and you can write.”

“I’m not even a full staff writer,” Stiles said slowly.

“I’m promoting you once I get back, you’ll be a staff writer,” Laura said. “Derek is not writing about this Thanksgiving, we’re going for a happy homey story, not something that resembles the real pilgrims and Indian massacres and will give our readers nightmares.”

Stiles looked at Derek.

“I’m the boss,” Laura said, yawning.

“Keep eating,” Melissa said. “I’m going to get bedding for everyone.”

“Derek can have my bed,” Stiles said. “Just get me a sleeping bag.”

“I’ll take the sleeping bag,” Laura said looking between her brother and Stiles. “You take the bed.”

Stiles felt a little blush crawl over his face. Derek ate more turkey.

“I’ll take the couch,” Chris said.

“Scott and Allison can have our bed,” the Sheriff said. “I’ll find the air mattress.”

“So Lydia it looks like you get the guest bedroom,” Melissa said.

The group of them had spent years organizing and executing. Sleeping arrangements were easy after one had spent their high school years foiling many crazy potentially apocalyptic incidents.

Lydia looked thoughtfully at Laura.

“Laura, you can have half the guest bed,” she said fighting off a yawn. “If you don’t kick and you’d rather not sleep on Stiles’ floor.”

Laura looked grateful. 

And ready to faceplant in the food. Melissa left to set everything up. The eating began to slow a little. It was kind of awkward to be watched while you inhaled enough food for multiple families.

Melissa came back.

“Allison, Stiles, and Lydia, take them up to the beds,” Melissa said, looking at the exhausted wolves. “Girls, grab some pajamas or boxers from Stiles’ old clothes in his room. We’ll clean up. Pie for breakfast, feel free to sleep in.”

Allison moved first to help Scott up and lead him away. Lydia motioned to Laura to follow her. Derek looked up at Stiles.

Stiles reached out for him. He felt Derek take his hand. He helped Derek to bed. He hadn’t realized how quickly his crushed had evolved. This very real flesh and blood man who had a past like multiple Titanics was important to him. Very important to him.

He shuffled through his bureau and brought the girls pajamas. When he got back Derek was sacked out on the bed.

Stiles changed into his pajamas and curled into Derek’s back. Derek wiggled into him in his sleep.

Stiles held onto him tightly.

**

Stiles woke up sometime after dawn. He knew that it wasn’t time to get up yet. He just felt Derek wake up. Sometime in the night they had shifted and now Derek was curled up around his back. Derek’s fingers were tracing a pattern on his stomach. Stiles just sunk into Derek.

When Derek began speaking it felt a little like a dream.

“The first person I ever loved I had to kill,” Derek said. “She was bitten by a rabid Alpha as revenge on my family and she was rejecting it. She was in so much pain. The second person I loved burned down a house and killed everyone I loved because I let her in. I’ve kept everyone away. Then you came into my life and you refused, not matter how much I tried, to stay away. I thought it was because I was paying you, so I changed that, especially after we slept together. I thought you’d be less, well I want to say patient but that isn’t you, you stood up to me always. I just thought you would want to stay as far away from me as possible. But you didn’t. That was what it was I realized after you had a spine of steel and I now I couldn’t stay away. Even before all this I was thinking about telling you.”

Stiles turned to him. “And now you think that it means I’m going to die?”

Derek let out a dry laugh. “I’m not that melodramatic and after what everyone has told me I’m not sure you can be killed and that is what scares me more. I just wanted you to know where I’m coming from.”

From the circle of Derek’s arms Stiles felt safer than he ever had since monsters became real.

“I think you just told me you loved me,” Stiles said.

“Ridiculous, isn’t it?” Derek said with a small smile.

“Totally,” Stiles said. “I gave up being in love because I couldn’t see you thinking the same, I felt about you and there wasn’t anyone who could compare.”

Derek kissed his forehead. “I think we should try. I’m a mess and you are Stiles, it’ll probably end the world, but I hear your people can deal with that kind of problem.”

Stiles held him closer and they fell back asleep.

**

The door opened and Derek was on his feet, between Stiles and the door.

Laura stood there approvingly and then she shot Stiles an apologetic look.

“There is a pack problem back in the city,” Laura said giving her brother the same apologetic look. “We have to go back now. I wouldn’t ask, but this is Dane and you’re the only one who can deal with that ass. Isaac and Erica are flipping out. Are you up for this?”

Derek nodded. 

Laura shot Stiles a glance. “Can you stay here and work everything out?”

“I’m sure everything fine,” Stiles bluffed.

“No, there is pack business. I need you to do something for me,” Laura said. “Please talk to Chris. We know that it wasn’t his fault. We believe him. That is our official position. We want to have an alliance with the McCall pack. We accept you as emissary between us. We can’t have the remaining Argents or the True Alphas as enemies.”

She then gave him a cute smile. “Plus I need you to talk Scott into letting us come here. I love the preserve and you have to write an editorial. Plus someone has to drive the car back. Expense the next few days, I’ll sign your report. I’ll let you two have a minute, as I brainstorm ways not to make it look like I didn’t give an editorial to my brother’s boyfriend.”

“Give me ten,” Derek said dismissively.

Laura laughed and left.

Derek crawled on the bed and kissed Stiles. “I’m sorry.”

“Look on the bright side,” Stiles said. “We’re in a relationship where we can say I have to deal with pack problems instead of make up lame excuses.”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “You do that often?”

“Almost every time,” Stiles told him. “It’s how my relationships end. I am strangely bad at making things up considering the experience I’ve had”

Derek gave him a slightly pained look. “It’s better than how mine end.”

Stiles cupped his cheek. “I cannot believe that you’re still standing after everything that happened. You’re amazing.”

“I’m a pain in the ass,” Derek said. “That is my coping mechanism.”

Stiles shrugged. “We’ll work on that.”

Then Stiles kissed him. It was a little needy. It was as if he was trying to remember everything, just in case this never happened again.

Derek pulled away and rested his forehead against Stiles’. “It’s not going to all go away when we get back to the city, this you and me stuff.”

Stiles fisted his hand in Derek’s shirt.

“I hope not,” Stiles said. “But we’re going to risk it because I’m not growing old in my childhood bedroom because we’re too chicken to see if this exists in the real world.”

“I’ll see you in a few days,” Derek said, kissing him.

“We talked right?” Stiles said. “We can get to the good part when I get back. Because I really like the good part.”

Derek let out a little groan. “Leaving now or I’m never leaving.”

With that he left the room.

Stiles flopped back on his bed. 

He already started to doubt that the last few days had ever happened.

**

Stiles spent four days in Beacon Hills before heading back to the city. He had a treaty of peace with Chris and an open welcome from Scott for Laura. He had a lot of anxiety about Derek.

Just another day.

He drove to the office, cursing the Manhattan traffic, he parked the car in the company garage and hefted his bags up to the office. It was almost five, but he knew that Laura and Derek would still be there.

Unless they were out on pack business, but he had faith that they wrapped everything up. He hadn’t called Derek, he couldn’t figure out what he would say to Derek. In his defense it wasn’t as if Derek called or texted him.

He walked up to Laura’s office where she was sitting at her desk on her computer. She saw him and a smile broke out on her face. She leaned over and pulled a box out of her drawer, it held an envelope on top.

“Do you have an article for me?” she asked. 

It held none of the bite that it had when he left.

He pulled a few paperclipped pieces of paper out of his bag and wordlessly handed it to him.

She read the first line and then looked up at Stiles who felt like his entire future lay on her response. Which is kind of did.

Laura looked down again and read the first line. “For as long as I can remember Thanksgiving has held to the same traditions in my house, adding and subtracting a few things here or there, but the thing that has really changed and made the holiday better are the people around the table. No longer do I have just the family I was born into, I also am surrounded by my family of choice.”

She looked up at him again and slid the box and the envelope over. “Your new business cards with your new title and a letter promoting you with your new salary.”

Stiles looked at the box. “You figure out how to explain why your brother potentially new boyfriend gets the editorial and a promotion yet?”

Laura laughed. “I had some ways, but then I realized I own the magazine and you deserve it.”

“People are going to be pissed,” Stiles told her.

She shrugged. “Those who are going to be pissed are already pissed because you go to baseball games and sleep with him. The ones who say things like that already assume you got promoted before because of that.”

Stiles’ jaw dropped. He hadn’t ever heard a word of that.

“You didn’t know,” Laura said. “Because those kind of people are shady and won’t say it to your face. People are dumb, you deserve this. This magazine is my mother’s baby and I will not put crap out in the world. I mean it’s a little accelerated, but you do deserve to be where you are.”

Stiles smiled. “I think so. I hope so. But you do know the editorial is reaching.”

“Yep,” she said. “That is a personal favor because you did all the work and as well as Derek can write I’m not going to point him in any direction that Kate Argent touches. He had a good time for most of it, but some things put a pall over everything. This is for me, I owe you one.”

He picked up the box and the envelope. “I feel repaid.”

“Go drag my brother out of here,” Laura said. “He’s been freaking about you for the last two days and it is driving me crazy.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Stiles said with a salute.

He put the box in his bag and walked down the hallway to Derek’s office. Derek was writing something. He looked up when Stiles came in. Stiles didn’t say anything. He just moved to sit down in his dear chair.

Derek cocked his head.

Stiles smiled.

“You’re still really hot,” Stiles said.

Derek rolled his eyes. “You’re going to be a walking HR nightmare.”

Stiles grinned. “I just got a promotion.”

“I know,” Derek said. “Do you want to celebrate?”

“Postmates and chill?” Stiles asked.

Derek raised an eyebrow. “I don’t understand your language.”

“Is it economical or generational?” Stiles asked

“I’m barely five years older than you,” Derek pointed out.

“So you’re just a rich snob,” Stiles teased. “Come over and I’ll show you my ways.”

“Come to my place,” Derek countered.

Stiles raised his eyebrows. Derek’s place was amazing. Stiles had only seen it in the professional sense that he had to grab something for Derek when he was a personal assistant. He had been too nervous in that place to sit on the couch. However he remembered that Derek had an epic bed and he had ordered the most exquisite sheets he could find for that bed, he had always been a little disappointed that they ended up at his place.

Stiles licked his lips. “Laura said you have to leave now. Like right now.”

Derek nodded. “Gotta listen to my boss.”

“First time for everything,” Stiles quipped.

**

Stiles gave Derek a long languid kiss.

Their bodies were boneless and draped all over each other. Despite the fact that they had sex before, this had been something completely new. There were lingering touches and looking, there was a freedom now that there had never been there in their previous attempts. Derek had traced Stiles’ scars like he was willing them to disappear. Stiles had held onto Derek in a way that he had been too scared to before. This was something they did together instead of to each other.

“I think we may have ruined your sheets,” Stiles said against Derek’s lips.

Derek looked down at the sheets that were a little ripped and held bodily fluids.

“I’m asking you this as a boyfriend not a personal assistant,” Derek began.

“You want to know where I got these sheets?” Stiles finished. “I’ll order you a couple sets when I regain the ability to move.”

“I’ll get you a card when I remember where anything is,” Derek replied.

“No worries,” Stiles said curling into Derek. “I have it memorized.”

Derek gave him a look.

“I’ve never used it,” Stiles muttered into Derek’s neck.

A rumble of laughter vibrated Derek’s chest. “I feel like I’m going to get a charge for something weird some day.”

“Probably,” Stiles agreed. “HR nightmare, remember.”

Derek was silent for a moment and then he asked. “What do you think that us in a relationship looks like?”

Stiles ran his hand over the meticulously cut pecs in front of him. “Like we’ve been already, but more often. Maybe some grocery shopping. I may be inclined to hold your hand from time to time out of the office to see if I like it.”

Derek’s arms held Stiles a little closer. “All of this sounds good.”

“We might fight sometimes,” Stiles said. “You’re picky and stubborn.”

“As are you,” Derek replied. “I’ll tell you this now though, while we are not fighting, there is no one I’d rather bicker with.”

Stiles curled more into Derek.

Derek cleared his throat. “We should shower and you can show me this Postmates thing.”

Stiles propped himself up on Derek’s chest. He looked at Derek.

“It might take me awhile to get used to this,” Stiles admitted.

Derek ran on hand through his hair. “I haven’t been in a relationship since I was fifteen. I’m sure that it will take me a bit too.”

They were wrong, they took to it immediately.

**

Derek’s phone buzzed.

“Laura’s here,” Derek said.

It buzzed a few more times, but he just put it in his pocket.

Stiles was looking through a few of the boxes in the corner that he hadn’t unpacked yet. He hadn’t brought much when he moved in, he had to be honest Derek’s stuff was far better and he had picked out some of it so it seemed silly to cart his IKEA furniture across town.

They both had been busy so there were a few boxes that hadn’t been unpacked yet.

“Weigh if pissing her off is worth having what you are looking for,” Derek said.

With a sigh Stiles grabbed his bag and headed to the door, Derek following on his heels and locking up.

They took the elevator down to the lobby.

“Are you going to give me the small house speech again?” Derek teased.

Stiles waved a hand at him. “I told dad not even to clean up this time. I’ve got you, there really is no point to try to impress you anymore.”

“Well it was a nice two months of you trying to impress me,” Derek said blandly. “You’re still going to have sex with me?”

Stiles looked at him as if he were crazy. “Why would I do something that hurts me?”

The elevator doors opened and they walked out. As soon as they exited the building Laura laid on the horn. She was in the black jeep.

Stiles laughed and Derek rolled his eyes as he threw the bags in the trunk. Stiles got into the back seat and Derek took shot gun.

“How are my favorite two HR nightmares?” Laura asked as if she hadn’t seen them yesterday evening.

“You don’t get to call me that,” Stiles said in faux outrage. “That is Derek’s special name for me.”

Laura laughed and they pulled out of the city.

They headed to Beacon Hills. 

The dry run of Thanksgiving had a few bumps. This time they had worked the kinks out.

**

“Seriously what is wrong with them?” Stiles said as he took a big bite of cereal. 

“They’re weird,” Scott agreed picking out marshmallows out of his bowl. “I mean what time did they get up?”

“Over achievers,” Stiles muttered as the parade started. “They’re missing the parade to run in the woods. If he weren’t so hot, I would totally dump his ass.”

“I heard that,” Derek said as the door swung open.

“Traditions, Derek Hale,” Stiles yelled back.

Scott was laughing.

“I’m grabbing cereal,” Derek yelled back.

Laura came and bombed on the couch. “I don’t do cereal.”

“Heathen,” Stiles rolled his eyes.

Derek came with a bowl of cereal and sat on the floor in front of Stiles. Stiles ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

“Aren’t they just the most ridiculously gag worthy?” Laura said with a groan.

“Are there werewolf dowries?” Scott asked Laura. “Because I’m going to require a very large one for Stiles.”

Laura cackled. “You are my absolute favorite Alpha.”

“There are no dowry discussions on Thanksgiving,” Stiles said absently.

“I don’t remember that in the bylaws,” Scott laughed.

“Don’t make me come after you,” Stiles said.

“You and what army?” Scott said. “Laura will totally be on my side.”

“Children,” Melissa said coming from the kitchen. “Behave, don’t make me separate you.”

Laura’s smile grew. It seems that even as an adult Alpha, part of her had missed having a maternal figure around. Stiles carded his hand through Derek’s hair as they watched the parade. Scott pointed out ever balloon. He and Laura mocked the presenters the whole way through. Derek happily at cereal.

**

“There are too many cooks in the kitchen,” Melissa said looking at everyone scurrying around making the meal. “Don’t you guys have a football game?”

Stiles shook his head. “We’re not doing it this year. It brings back bad memories.”

“And bringing up bad memories helps rehash that,” Laura said looking over a boiling pot. “How do I know if these are done?”

“Take one out and try it,” Derek said from where he was mixing up the homemade stuffing. “If it is mushy it’s done. Colander is in the sink.”

“One fake Thanksgiving and he thinks he Martha Stewart,” Stiles laughed as he moved to set the table.

Scott sat at the kitchen block eating the marshmallows out of the sweet potatoes. He was not allowed to set the table, as they didn’t have any extra dishes this year and Scott tended to break things. He wasn’t really proficient at cooking so he declared himself there for morale.

Laura looked at the pot and took out a potato with the spoon and tried it.

“It’s mushy!” she exclaimed. “Bring on the mixer.”

Stiles put down the plates and grabbed the milk and the butter out of the fridge. He helped Laura make the mashed potatoes. She actually squealed at one point. 

“Argent’s incoming,” Allison’s voice rang out. “Don’t bring out the claws, we come in peace.”

Allison appeared, grinning.

“We’re joking about it now?” Derek said, his eyebrows reaching his hairline.

She came over to him and gave him a hug. “We’ve got to start sometime. You’re pack adjacent now, a pack cousin.”

Chris followed her in and looked hesitant about entering the room. Laura walked up to him slowly. She wasn’t being predatory, she was just being clear about meaning no harm. She put out her hand. Chris looked at it for a moment and then grasped it.

Scott sat on his perch and looked pleased. Stiles just felt relief. After the fake Thanksgiving, this was a much more positive direction that they were going in.

Melissa and the Sheriff started talking to Chris and Laura. Scott and Allison greeted each other in the most cute fashion.

Derek pulled Stiles back against him.

“I’m forgetting that there was a time I ever didn’t know you,” Derek whispered in his ear. “Everything before seems like a boring dream.”

Stiles smiled as he looked at the family in the kitchen.

“Happy Thanksgiving.”

**Author's Note:**

> Which strikes your curiosity more - dragons or hairdressers?


End file.
